Massachusetts Bay Colony

Massachusetts Bay Colony (not to be confused with the nearby Plymouth Colony) was founded in Boston in 1630 by English Puritans.The name "Massachusetts" came from the Algonquian Indian word that means "a big hill place." The Puritans wished to set up a religious society away from England. The Puritans were members of the Anglican Church who were dissenting against the new Catholic monarchs and the influence of the Pope in the Church of England. The Puritans were influenced by John Calvin. The colony was a theocracy. John Winthrop was the colony's first Governor. The Puritans did not tolerate other religious views. Quakers, Baptists, Catholics, and Jews were hanged in Boston. Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson were forced from the colony due to dissenting political beliefs. Williams founded the colonies of Rhode Island and Connecticut, and after living for a short time in Rhode Island, Hutchinson settled in what is today New York.